Radiation spikes after wildfire in Chernobyl exclusion zone

A general view shows of the sarcophagus covering the damaged fourth reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, northern Ukraine. (Reuters / Gleb Garanich) / Reuters

Ukrainian nuclear inspectors have measured a significant increase in radiation in the Chernobyl exclusion zone caused by heavy wildfires raging in close proximity to the crippled nuclear power station.

Air near the desolated settlement of Polesskoye in the Chernobyl
zone is contaminated with the radioactive element cesium-137. Its
content in the air has reached a level called “sequence above
the norm” (approximately ten times the norm), the State
Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine (SNRI) reported on
Wednesday.

Cesium-137 is one of the most dangerous nuclear elements, as it
accumulates in the body and can lead to leukemia.

The agency, however, has not released any information regarding
possible health hazards for people living near the zone or
firemen battling blazes nearby. It asserts that all other
indicators in the area are normal. SNRI proposes anonline
mapwith the results
of its monitoring of the situation.

According to Ukrainian officials, a wildfire spread across a
territory of about 130 hectares on Tuesday. The State Emergency
Service of Ukraine claims that the blaze is now under control
though not completely extinguished. It has deployed 117 firemen
and 24 units of fire-fighting equipment in the area.

“The worst scenario – and the most likely one – is that
particles of plutonium and uranium will be re-suspended and …
there will be a slight increase in cancer in nearest areas,”
Cristopher Busby, the scientific secretary for the European
Committee on Radiation Risks, told RT.

This is not the first wildfire to break out near the Chernobyl
nuclear power station this year. Early in May another 400
hectares of forests in the zone were burning, but Kiev
authorities claimed there had been no serious contamination.

However, scientists warn that wildfires in the area can lead to
catastrophic consequences. In 2014, an international team of
scientists published a study which posited that “The
resulting releases of Cesium-137 after hypothetical wildfires in
Chernobyl’s forests are classified as high in the International
Nuclear Events Scale (INES). The estimated cancer incidents and
fatalities are expected to be comparable to those predicted for
Fukushima.”

The Chernobyl nuclear plant was crippled after a catastrophic
nuclear accident on April 26, 1986. People living in the area
around the Chernobyl nuclear power station were evacuated due to
the nuclear contamination. The plant is located about 100
kilometers from Kiev, the capital of Ukraine.